Game of skill



7 GAME OF SKILL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1954 Aug. 24, 1937.

H. G. BREITENSTEIN 2,090,613

GAME OF SKILL Filed April 18, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' an inclined board provided Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATES GAME OF SKILL Herbert G. Breitenstcin,

to Raymond T. Moloney,

Application April 18,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in bagatelle games to make the playing thereof more interesting and fascinating.

These well known amusement games comprise with ball trapping holes. The balls are projected over the board to gravitate into the holes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a series of these holes in alinement in a passageway, there being plunger supports in certain of these holes to carry the ball temporarily in the holes without dropping therethrough. Another object is to provide a ball controlled trip mechanism which will raise a trapped ball out of one of the holes in the passageway and cause it to gravitate into the next hole in the passageway mentioned, thus causing the balls in the passageway to be progressively trapped.

Another object is to provide such progression of the ball trapping which is entirely mechanical and operated by the played balls.

Still another object is to provide an improved form of under panel beneath the game board which carries the mechanical means to govern 25 the ball progression, there also being means associated with said under panel to reset trap doors for certain outrigger ball receiving holes associated with the ball progressing control mechanism.

Other objects will become apparent to those familiar with this art as the disclosure is more fully made.

Briefly, these by the game mechanism which an upper inclined game board having holes is provided, three of these holes being longitudi nally alined and arranged in a passageway formed by suitable side rail members. A slidably supported under panel is arranged beneath 4, the game board, said panel having hinged fiap members carried beneath it which extend transversely with their free ends located under an outrigger hole in the upper panel on each side of the ball progression passageway. These out- 45 rigger holes have ball closed trap doors. The inner adjacent ends of these hinged fiaps carry plunger seats extending upwardly into each of the two upper of the three alined holes. In play if a ball seats in the upper of the three holes 50 it comes to rest on the depressed plunger seat therein. If a succeeding ball is lodged in an outrigger hole the hinged fiaps are operated to raise the plunger seat to cause the first ball to gravitate out of the upper hole and progress through 55 the passageway to the second hole, the outrigger desirable objects may be attained herein illustrated in.

Chicago, 111., assignor Chicago, Ill.

1934, Serial No. 721,119

hole in the meanwhile having been closed by its trap door actuated by the ball passing therethrough. This exposes the upper hole to receive another ball if it is skillfully played. In the event that the two upper holes in the passageway each have trapped a ball, then a succeeding ball played into the other outrigger hole operates the flaps and plunger seats to move the middle hole ball in the passage to the lower of the three alined holes and the upper hole ball gravitates into the middle hole. In this fashion the balls progress and increase the scores as each hole in practice will have a numerical scoring value. After the predetermined number of balls have been played the under panel can be released and slid by a coin operated slide to one by one into projecting position for further play.

In the drawings illustrating a practicable form of the invention:

Figure 1 is a general plan view of the game showing in dotted lines under the the ball progression control mechanism;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the. direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal, central sectional view through the game and one of the ball progression control mechanism as seen along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking'in direction;

Figure 4 is a transverse, central sectional view through the game and the same ball progression control mechanism as seen along the line 4-4 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, central longitudinal sectional view through an outrigger hole and its trap door taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

As shown in Figure 1 the game device is housed in a box having a front wall it), two side walls I l, and a rear wall l2, the box being closed at its top by the usual glass cover l3. The walls carry an inclined game board l4 having an oval play field 15 at one side of which is a ball shooting passage l6. At the lower end,

oval track, said balls emerging therefrom through a gate l8 onto the playing field, with a plurality of spaced ball trapping holes lEl, it being understood that the balls after emerging cause the outrigger hole trap doors to be opened and the played balls to be returned by a ball chute to a lifter for return game board,

the indicated.

adjacent the front wall Ill, is a shooter or projector ll for shooting balls, in the usual way, one at a time around the which is formed 1 thereon a plurality of ball rests from the gate |8 gravitate down the inclined play field board l5. Spent balls missing these scoring holes are received by a spent ball opening 2|] at the lower end of the board in the usual way. The

improved ball trapping and progression control means will now be described.

The upper board 5 has two sets of three alined holes 2|, one set being arranged at the upper end of the board, and the other set at the lower end.

10 As both sets, and the associated mechanism for each is the same only the upper set need be described. These three alined holes2| are arranged in a passageway formed by spaced, parallel rails, or'oth'er Wall members 22 secured to the board;

At each side of this passage the board is formed with an outrigger hole 23 each of which as shown in Figure 5 has a therein, said doors having a right angle extension 26 depending downwardly when the door is closed.

These doors are normally in hole opening position so that when a ball enters the hole itengages the leg 26 to pull the door to hole closing position in an obvious manner. These doors 24 are shown open in Figure 1. The lower edge of the hole 23 25 adjacent the hinge 25 carries a flat spring 25 which serves releasably to lock the door 24 in either its open or closed position, said spring also acting to press the door in one direction or the other as it moves over dead center.

Underneath the board is slidably carried on suitable supports 21. (see Figure 4) a sheet metal panel 28 having struck up therefrom or welded 29, there being one rest 29 for each of the holes l9. One of such rests 29 is provided for the lowermost of the three holes 2| also. A pair of springs 30 serve to hold the panel 28 pressed toward the left as seen in Figure 1. The panel28 can -be-slid by a coin released slide3Tin the wall It], the slide abutting a shoulder 32 formed on the panel. The panel 28 is further provided with ball escape openings 33 adapted respectively to register with each of the ball holes l9 and 2| in the top board l5 when the 7 panel is pushed backby the slide 3|. Elongated ball escape openings 34are formed in the panel 28 to permit escape of. balls falling through the outrigger holes 23.

Below the alined series of holes 2| the underside of the panel 28, as shown in Figure 4 carries spaced ears 35 to which are pivotally connected intermediate their ends, at 36, a pair of transversely disposed flap members 37 having their inner adjacent edges appropriately overlapped to loosely support a pair of upright ball'plunger rests 38, there being one such plunger extending up into each of the two upper holes 2| in the series of three holes 2| described. The lower hole 2| of each series, it will be remembered has a rest 29 therebelow.

These plungers 28 act as weights holding the inner ends of the flaps 31 down as shown in the full lines inFigure 4 and 'as a consequence it follows that the outer or free ends of the flaps are raised to be in position under the elongated ball escape holes 34 in the panel 28 and also under the outrigger holes 23. As shown in Figures 1 and 5 the ends of the flaps 3'! have a rearward extension 38' formed with a' longitudinal slot 39 through which the leg 26 of the adjacent trap door projects, when the door is closed. The

underside of the board ately as at 40 to accommodate the rests 29 when the panel-28 is slid back, and similarly the board is relieved to accommodate the plungers as at 4|. In starting the play of the gamethe under trap door 24 pivoted at 25 I5 is notched apppropri panel 28 is held in the normal forward position by the springs 30 as appears in Figures 1 and 2. Balls, such as shown at 42 are projected in the usual way by the shooter across the board l5.

thus raises the inner end of the flaps-31 to move the plungers 38 up in their holes 2|. This raises the previously trapped ball in the upper hole 2| to a level where it rolls by gravity off the plunger and then'rolls by gravity down the passage be tween the rails 22 to be trapped by the middle hole 2| This ball now comes to rest on the middle plunger 35. The ball that was played through the outrigger hole 23 has by this time rolled off the extension 38', thus allowing the weight of the plungers to lower the inner ends of the flaps 3'! and raise the outer ends thereof.

This frees the upper hole 2| in the passage 22 to receive another ball. With this condition of play each of the plungers 28 .now carries a ball. If another ball is now trapped by the other outrigger hole 23 the flaps 31 are once more raised at their inner ends to raise both plungers 38. As a result the two balls lodged thereon progress by gravity down the passageway 22 with a ball now in the lower two holes 2| of the three alined holes 2|. The lower ball rests on the rest 29 in the hole. The upper hole 2| is now open to receive another ball, so that by skilful playing, each of the three holes 2| may be occupied by a ball.

Other balls missing the passage 22 may be played into the other holes l9 and be trapped on the seats 29 therein. Spent balls come to rest Such ball comes 7 on the lower edge of the panel 28' in the spent ball opening 20.

After the predetermined number of balls have been played another coin must be placed in the slide 3| to push the panel 28 rearwardly. This located the various ball escape holes 33 in registry with the upper holes l9 in the board l5 and removes the balls from the rests 29 to cause them to fall and escape through the holes 33 to any ap propriate ball chute structure not shown for returning them by a suitable lifter, not shown, to the projector IT. The same happens to the balls falling off the lower edge of the panel 28 from the spent ball hole 2|]. The same happensto balls falling from the plunger 38 when the panel 28 is so shifted. The ball on the upper hole plunger 38 falls through its hole 33 and through a hole 33' formed through the flaps 31. At the same time the ends of the elongated holes 34 engage the legs 26 to reopen the doors 24 in the outrigger holes 23. The holes 34 move the doors 24 to slightly over. their dead centers when the springs'25 come into play to move the doors all the way open. When the coin slide 3|.is re leased, the springs 30 are effective to push the panel 28 forwardly to its normal playing position.

From this disclosure it will now be seen that an improved ball trapping and progressing mechanism has been provided which achieves all of the objects of the invention heretofore recited. It is the intention to cover all changes and modifications'of the example of the invention herein shown and described, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 7

What is claimed is:

1. In a game device, an elongated inclined board formed with a series of longitudinally alined ball receiving holes arranged in a passageway formed on the board, said board having a hole therein laterally of the passageway, a ball seat member in the upper hole of the series of holes to support a ball lodged therein, and a transversely disposed member carried below the board for hinging movement about a longitudinal axis, said hinged member carrying said seat member, said hinged member being pivoted by a ball dropping through said laterally spaced hole to raise the seat member and cause the ball thereon to gravitate down the passageway to be lodged in the next succeeding hole in the passageway.

2. In a game device, an inclined board having a plurality of alined holes therein arranged in a passage formed on the board, a panel under the board, a hinged member carried by the panel, .a

plunger carried by the hinged member and arranged in one of said alined holes to support a ball, said hinged member being moved by a ball falling through another hole formed in the board to raise the plunger and cause a ball seated thereon to gravitate therefrom and progress down the passageway to the next hole therein.

3. In a game device, an inclined board having three alined holes therein arranged in a passage formed on the board, a slidable panel under the board, said board having an outrigger hole therethrough on each side of the passage, hinged members under the board and carried by the panel, said hinged members carrying a pair of plungers which project upwardly into two of the alined holes, said hinged members extending under the outrigger holes whereby when a ball falls through an outrigger hole it pivots the hinged members to raise the plungers in the alined holes to dislodge balls that may be seated on the plungers to cause said balls to progress down the passage.

4. In a game device, an inclined board having three alined holes therein arranged in a passage formed on the board, a slidable panel under the board, said board having an outrigger hole therethrough on each side of the passage, hinged members under the board and carried by the panel, said hinged members carrying .a pair of plungers which project upwardly into two of the alined holes, said hinged members extending under the outrigger holes whereby when a ball falls through an outrigger hole it pivots the hinged members to raise the plungers in the alined holes to dislodge balls that may be seated on the plungers to cause said balls to progress down the passage, a trap door for the outrigger holes to close the said outrigger holes when a ball drops therethrough, the panel having ball escape openings therein, means to slide the panel to permit the trapped balls to escape therethrough and to reopen the closed trap doors in the outrigger holes.

HERBERT G. BREI'IENSTEIN. 

